Shield Maiden
by Funky In Fishnet
Summary: Kaitlyn's not just the Divas Champion, she's also secretly an associate of the Shield. Who else could be helping them get into the arena each night?


_**Disclaimer: **I own nothing._

_**Author Note: **Contains a relationship between three men. Enjoy :)_

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**SHIELD MAIDEN**

Kaitlyn's phone beeped. Checking the screen briefly, she hopped up from her seat and sauntered through the hallways to the backdoor where no cameras were hanging around. They were fully occupied elsewhere - someone had wrecked AJ's luggage and the little psycho was pitching a fit about it, grabbing a lot of people's attention. Kaitlyn smiled.

She opened the backdoor with relative ease – she'd watched security open and close it several times – and set off a countdown on her phone. They had two minutes before security would come investigating. Then she'd be shutting the door and heading back to the locker room, leaving the guys out in the cold and all of them under the radar.

With less than thirty seconds to go, all three members of the Shield entered the building. Kaitlyn stopped the countdown and relocked the doors. She handed out water bottles and smirked when water droplets splashed across her shoulders and neck thanks to Dean dousing himself and shaking away the excess. He smirked back, sauntering into her personal space in order to lick the trickling water off her skin. The scruff of his stubble rubbed against her neck, the pleasure of it causing her eyes to drift shut. Her hand traveled idly back to grasp a handful of his hair.

He was leaving marks that would probably show up on camera and he knew it. A moment or two later, he released her, smirk still in place, and Kaitlyn let go of him in return, her fingers trailing down to tap against his United States Title belt.

"Cute. Does it come in pink?"

Dean yanked at her two-tone locks, just the right side of painful, and Seth laughed, checking his watch and giving the signal that they had to go if they wanted to interrupt the show like they'd planned. He threw an empty water bottle towards Kaitlyn.

"Lights out."

"See you there."

Roman sent her an amused smile, his eyes glittering darkly in a way guaranteed to make most people shiver. Kaitlyn just grinned back. She stuffed the empty bottles into the nearest trashcan, checked her reflection, and headed straight to make-up. The staff there had witnessed enough WWE shows to know that make-up damage was a frequent part of life backstage. No questions would be asked, which was exactly how Kaitlyn liked it.

She didn't have much to do that night. Sure, she was Divas Champion but that didn't mean that the Powers That Be used her all that often. They preferred putting talent like the Bella Twins out there – that was what they liked best, pretty faces, skinny bodies, meager in-ring ability. It was more than an injustice. But Kaitlyn still had the title, and she also had powerful friends

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Once the camera stopped rolling and Kaitlyn had chatted to Natalya for a little while, she headed back to the lockerroom to grab her stuff. She liked to keep in touch with Natalya; the older diva had been in the business practically since birth and had successfully navigated the warped way that the WWE used their Divas roster. It paid to have a friend like that, Kaitlyn learned a lot from watching Nattie. For example, Nattie had made herself part of the Kali and Hornswoggle group – they always got a great crowd reaction, so Nattie had leverage any time Talent Relations decided to shorten the roster. Smart divas were the ones who found ways to stick around the longest.

Once she had her bag packed up, Kaitlyn made for the outside world. But not to the parking lot, because why would the Shield be so obvious? They didn't want to give anyone the chance to track them, so instead they tended to park a little further away and nearer to arena exits that only crew used. And when they could, they used a chopper. Tonight was one of those nights.

Access to the roof was easy – everybody was preoccupied with the show, so nobody really noticed when Kaitlyn made her way up the fire-escape. Her heels click-clacked quietly as she reached the top and trotted across the uneven tarmac to where the helicopter waited. The pilot was reading a trashy-looking novel. Kaitlyn grinned as she knocked on the glass.

"Reading on the job, Pete?"

The pilot rolled his eyes, reaching over to unlock the door. "Gotta do something to pass the time."

Kaitlyn pulled open the door with a nod of thanks and lifted herself into the back. It was snug but comfortable. Securing her bag at her feet, she grabbed her phone and ferreted out snacks. The boys had things to do, they wouldn't be out yet, but it was good to be ready.

"Cookie?"

Pete didn't bother to answer; he just stretched out an expectant hand. Kaitlyn loaded him up with praline cookies and enjoyed a handful herself. It was cold but at least she had company. Her phone had Fruit Ninja and she was slamming Seth's latest score. She did a quick check through her emails for anything urgent and once she'd let her sister know that she'd be hitting her hometown within the next month; she got straight into the game. She was pretty consumed by it until there was the sound of sure footsteps and cold air suddenly rushed into the chopper. The Shield had arrived.

The first thing Seth did was grab the box of cookies off Kaitlyn's lap, vaulting over her to take a seat by the window. Kaitlyn shoved at him, her eyes still on her phone. She was still beating his score, the look on his face when he discovered that was going to be amazing.

Dean took a seat beside the pilot, ever the control freak, wanting to see exactly where they were going and what their options were. Roman sat on Kaitlyn's other side and accepted when she asked in gesture if she could rest her feet on his ample lap. Space wasn't exactly at a premium in the back of a helicopter. Thankfully, Roman was awesome. He ran his fingers over her deep magenta pumps and lifted an approving eyebrow. Kaitlyn grinned back in agreement. There were many awesome things about Roman; one was that while Seth was all incessant noise and chaos, Roman was the cool deep water of silence and gesture. The contrast between the two of them was epic and yet they worked so well together.

Another awesome thing about Roman was his hidden depths. He appreciated good shoes and more than once he'd appeared beside Kaitlyn when she was trying to find that perfect pair of pumps that combined comfort and bad-assery. He'd often located exactly what she was looking for. She frequently repaid him by springing for lunch. He never stopped being terrific company and Kaitlyn loved that she was one of only a few select people privileged enough to know and enjoy that.

Now, Roman was tipping his chin towards the window and yeah, that sight never got old, a carpet of bright twinkling lights amongst thick uncompromising darkness. There was the glint of glassy buildings and the busy trails of bug-like cars, driving headlamp-sized patches of lights through the blackness. It was always a breathtaking picture. Kaitlyn leaned her head against Seth's shoulder, distracting him so that Roman could snatch a handful of praline cookies from the pilfered box wedged between Seth's knees.

Seth's response was mostly garbled words accompanied by a spray of cookie crumbs, causing Roman to firmly smooth large fingers over Seth's lips, wiping away all debris and words. Definitely for the best.

* * *

They were staying at a flophouse, just the basics, ma'am – bed rolls, kitchenette, bathroom. The pilot dropped them off a couple of streets over on a smooth tarmac space that might have been a kindergarten playground. There was no need for talking; they all knew where they were going. Kaitlyn hoisted her bag onto her shoulder and tucked herself between Seth and Roman as they walked, Seth humming under his breath, Roman plugging a single earbud in as he finally listened to his cellphone messages. Kaitlyn enjoyed the company, all the different sounds that she was now used to. She couldn't imagine bunking with anybody else.

Once upon a time, she'd strode through the WWE with AJ Lee at her side, Chickbusters united against the world. But then AJ had gotten a taste of both abuse and power and her brain had curdled. It made Kaitlyn so mad to see her former best friend behaving so cruelly and so bizarrely. She knew it was upsetting both their families, but there was only so much she could do. She'd be there if AJ ever found herself approaching sanity and respect again, but for now, Kaitlyn had found the best place to be.

Dean shoved open the flophouse door, his keys jingling straight back into his pocket. There'd be beer in the fridge and maybe a brief squabble over who slept where. Kaitlyn was double-checking that her Divas Championship belt was secure when Dean crooked his chin behind her.

"You ever going to defend that thing?"

Kaitlyn snorted, it was a fair question. "It'd be nice if they'd let me."

"Nice isn't going to get you anywhere."

"It'll get me hearing things that being nasty won't."

It was true; people told things to the nice girl with the sympathetic ear. It was all useful intel and Kaitlyn knew that there'd be opportunities for her to use it eventually. And of course it helped the Shield to have someone on the inside that nobody knew about, somebody that nobody would suspect.

Kaitlyn fished out her cellphone and quickly messaged Layla, apologizing for not hanging around after the show but she had a Bella-induced headache coming on and they'd catch up next week, okay? Layla totally understood and said that she'd text Kaitlyn all she'd missed. Kaitlyn grinned, see? Being nice paid off.

Dean's teeth sank briefly and brutally into her shoulder. That was his way – like Seth's noise and Roman's silence – Dean was all about the simple sudden attack. He liked being unexpected, finding new routes and surprising avenues. Kaitlyn had lost count of the number of marks he'd given her. It was probably one of the reasons she was approved of; she wasn't scared off by a little bite.

"One day though..." he warned her, once her shoulder was free again.

"Oh yeah, one day," she agreed, unspoken words as clear as day to both of them.

There was take-out for dinner – Chinese and Thai and an order of something spicy and green that Seth inhaled – washed down with frosty-cool beers. Kaitlyn ended up sleeping next to Dean, her faded plaid bedding pulled up to her chin. Dean laid an arm near her head and his nose touched her neck as she slept. Seth was plastered to Roman's back, arms tight around his waist. Roman didn't look like he was trying to get away.

Sleep was peaceful and deep, like it usually was. Kaitlyn was eventually woken up by Dean suddenly peeling himself away. He had a workout routine to stick to, a run to do before the neighborhood woke up. He didn't say a word, just shed his sleepwear and pulled on his sweats before heading out, not caring that the sidedoor slamming shut would likely wake the others up. Seth snuffled into Roman's back and one of his feet twitched. Roman's expression rippled and he pressed a hand to Seth's arm. Kaitlyn watched for a minute, their silent sweetness never failed to make something smile inside of her. She got to see that, and it was awesome.

Of course it wasn't long before Seth, eyes still closed, began working his way around to Roman's front, sloppily kissing any part of Roman that was bared and tender. Kaitlyn laughed, because Seth was so incredibly shameless, even when he was barely awake. Seth flipped her off, causing an impromptu contest of who could make the most creatively obscene gesture. Roman let Kaitlyn lean against his tattooed shoulder, smirking when Seth checked his phone and finally realized how impressively Kaitlyn had beaten his Fruit Ninja score.

That was when Dean made his reappearance, a quart of milk in one hand which he thumped onto the counter.

"Shower's mine," was his opener and closer as he headed into the tiny bathroom.

Seth muttered another string of disbelief at Kaitlyn's Fruit Ninjaing and then sprung elastically to his feet, dropping his boxers – the only item of clothing he ever wore to bed and even that was rare – before heading into the bathroom after Dean. Kaitlyn was about to grab some clothes when Roman wrapped a massive arm around her. Kaitlyn was happy to let him – Roman was a seriously badass hugger. After a few close moments, he touched a thumb to her chin and pulled away, levering them both up to their feet.

Kaitlyn tugged on fitted black stretch pants and a leather top that both revealed her impressive arms and showed off her chest. Her boots were old-school wrestling and her hair was pretty much a mess, but that was fine. Her bag was packed and she was ready to travel when Seth emerged from the bathroom, with hair slick and wet and a grin like the cat who'd definitely eaten the canary. He didn't crow though, just flicked water at them as he made up everybody's coffee order from the supplies in the kitchenette. The travel mugs were all full by the time Dean appeared, kitted out in his usual war gear and throwing a ring of keys to Roman. Time to hit the road then.

There was a four-wheel drive vehicle, all in black of course, secreted around the side of the nondescript property. Rented from a company that they wouldn't use again for several months, just to keep things varied, Roman clambered onto the front seat with Dean taking shotgun, leaving Kaitlyn and Seth with the back. The moment they were seated, he pinched at her ribs but when his hands tangled in her hair, it was to start braiding, not to pull anything out. Kaitlyn had no problem with that – Seth had deft hands and was soon creating a couple of tight waterfall braids. His fingernails were painted a glittering black, they looked a bit like the sky had the previous night.

Dean was staring out the window and drinking steadily from his mug. Kaitlyn tried not to move too much, not wanting to spoil Seth's work. He was fidgeting a lot himself though, there was something about the way he was moving that made Kaitlyn pretty certain that Dean had left some impressive hickies scattered across Seth's legs. It definitely wouldn't be for the first time. Kaitlyn smiled as Seth shifted in his seat; she loved the feeling of pressing against a bruise too.

They'd head toward the arena and split up noiselessly a block or so out. The Shield could be like shadows when they wanted, leaving Kaitlyn to meet up with Natalya or Layla or maybe Justin Gabriel or Tons of Funk, there were a lot of people who'd be glad to see her. And at some point, she would find a suitable outside door and would let the Shield in, probably right after she was told what minor part she'd be playing in that night's show. Dean was right, of course, she couldn't be nice forever, nice didn't get you the lion's share of TV time or merchandise or media attention or the spotlight or a shiny new payrise. Nice could maintain your job only for so long.

Kaitlyn was way more than just nice though, with or without the Shield, and the WWE would realize that soon enough, whether it wanted to or not. Seth tugged hard on her hair, like he knew she was ignoring him. She stuck her tongue out in reply, just as the same sky that had so recently been black now revealed itself to be baby blue and smeared with cream, a new challenge for a new day. Kaitlyn slipped on retro sunglasses with a cute little smirk. Where would the day take them? A thousand different places that the WWE Universe had no clue about. Kaitlyn's smile only grew as Seth finished off another braid in her hair. Perfect.

_-the end_

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_**Author Note**: The implication is supposed to be here that the Shield are in a relationship with each other. Kaitlyn is just a friend :)_


End file.
